Archives for November 2016

I had not heard the Jaywalkers before Sunday afternoon’s concert. Their web page states that the band takes influence from folk, bluegrass, country and western swing in the form of virtuosic instrumentals three part harmonies and impressive slap bass. The music Jaywalkers create is innovative, rooted deeply in tradition and exhilarating. From the off the band more than lived up to their web page description.

Traditional and well known songs “Wayfaring stranger” and “Your cheatin’ heart” were given fresh settings. Jay Bradberry’s vocals delivering a wonderful mix of vocal styles, soulful, bluesy, country inflections were all there. Her voice brought to mind various other singers: Eddi Reader, Melody Walker and Rhiannon Giddings. Then add in her great fiddle playing from Old time to swing and solid guitar accompaniment it became clear that a treat was in store.

The playing of Michael Givern on his Czech built Kristufek mandolin was a delight. The difficulty of mandolin amplification is a constant rainbow chase for players of this instrument. Michael’s setup was as close to the truth as I have heard. Couple this obvious care and attention with impeccable technique it was clear this was special. (as demonstrated on the aptly titled “Brilliancy”, “Big Siota”, his instrumental breaks within the songs and Brazilian tune “Nao Me Toques” (Trans. Do not touch me). He is one of the most exhilarating mandolin players I have had the luck to witness. Swapping to guitar and adding harmonies along with his self penned compositions added to variety and underlined his talent.

Lucy Williams on Double Bass, harmony vocals and material selection (she was credited with encouraging the band to cover Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love)” demonstrated the fun and obvious joy the Jaywalkers bring to performances. The sound that she produced on the double bass added and made it clear why musicians persist with all the obvious difficulties of transporting such a large unwieldy instrument. In the right hands (which it was) Lucy and her bass added much to the band’s overall sound. Her slap bass passages were a particular treat.

The second half of the concert was hugely enjoyable. I had bought three CDs during the interval, I don’t do that very often. Enough said.

Sheesham Lotus and Son provided the perfect balance between musical virtuosity and a rascally hokum performance. A sepia tinted performance giving an authentic aural experience providing a time capsule of the 1930s. Their period costume added to the authenticity, showmanship there was but this was underpinned by superb musicianship.

Sam Allison’s banjo playing both frailing but primarily short scale tenor was no single top line melody instrument but his chord and rhythm playing demonstrated a wonderful drive providing an imaginative rhythm propelling the sound.

Teilhard Frost’s fiddle playing was simply wonderful, before the show, joining in with the support, with his band and later, believe me much, much later after the show I witnessed an enthusiasm for fiddle playing that was a treat in every setting. In addition to the banjos, fiddle and sousaphone there was music played on harmonicas, miniature bottle, turkey baster, hambone (check their website) a demonstration that if you have the music you do not need conventional instruments to demonstrate that you are musical.

Brian Sanderson on sousaphone provided bass notes breaking away to sing one number and solo on a valved hunting horn bashed by a long hard life of misuse and neglect. A shrunken version of Dizzy Gillespie’s sky pointing trumpet that looked like it had first been run over by the Calgary stampede then repaired by a drunken plumber. To produce a jazzy bluesy solo was wonderful. This instrument was used only once but it has been said that it is good to leave the audience wanting more.

The audience certainly wanted more and even after encores few wanted to leave. The most entertaining trio I have ever witnessed.

Support was a rare solo performance from Barry Nisbet who demonstrated on fiddle, guitar and vocals why he is in such demand not only as a performer but also as a songwriter. His dazzling demonstration of fiddle tunes from his native Yell were a delight. His self penned songs bordeland and his humorous Shetland dialect song (with translation) provided great contrast. Sheesham’s fiddle player was unable to resist the temptation to join Barry for a fiddle duet.

It is little wonder that by continuing to provide music of this quality that The Dundee Acoustic Music Club have been shortlisted for MG Alba’s Scots Music Awards club of the year. Please vote for us via Scots trad music awards web pages.

ANDY IRVINEis one of the great Irish singers, his voice one of a handful of truly great ones that gets to the very soul of Ireland. He has been hailed as “a tradition in himself”.Musician, singer, songwriter, Andy has maintained his highly individual performing skills throughout his 45 year career.FromSweeney’s Menin the mid 60s, to the enormous success ofPlanxtyin the 70s and then fromPatrick StreettoAndy Irvine & Dónal Lunny’s Mozaik, Andy has been a world music pioneer and an icon for traditional music and musicians.As a soloist, Andy fills the role of the archetypal troubadour with a show and a travelling lifestyle that reflect his lifelong influence, Woody Guthrie.To quote the Irish Times, “Often copied, never equalled”, his repertoire consists of Irish traditional songs, dexterous Balkan dances and a compelling cannon of his own self-penned songs.

In the lead up to the concert a number of people marvelled that our wee club managed to book such a well known respected performer for such an intimate setting. A last minute change of venue to a slightly larger venue to accommodate a last minute flurry of ticket sales was needed.

Andy Irvine’s performance was such a treat. To witness someone produce such a well crafted set was wonderful. Accompanying himself on a quartet of eight stringed instruments (Mandola, Octave Mandolin. Bouzouki and Mandocello) he demonstrated an ability to hold the audience in the palm of his hand. It was also a hallmark of his reputation that ticket holders covered such a wide age range. Songs of Love, Humour, Ireland delivered at a pace both timeless and over in a flash ending with the encore of never tire of the road””. A magnetic performance delivered in full voice, a voice that retains all of its power, fingers supple and dexterous remarkable considering his 74 years.

It is unlikely that any musician from Lochaber will ever lose their roots however Mairi Orr’s music is not tied down by them she has a vision beyond the horizon and her material celebrates the links between the Scottish and American Folk Tradition.
Her well crafted songs and influences reach well beyond her native shores embracing Americana, Blues and Bluegrass influences. Couple this with a strong vocal presence and often robust guitar part we have a performer who has the potential to deliver. Deliver she did Mairi successfully bundled all these elements together and produced a wonderfully varied bag of songs.
Accompaniment was provided by the highly regarded Dave Currie on Dobro, an instrument that always adds a unique palate of sounds. In the hands of such a capable musician it added the full range that his instrument is capable of from delicacy to full on goose bump inducing chords.
Mairi’s recently released album tiptoes the delicate line of adding more musicians sounding well polished without losing Mairi and her songs. She has pulled off that difficult task of identifying musicians who play with an understanding adding to and enhancing never distracting from the material.
Another performer added to my let’s go again list

Cahalen Morrison & Eli West are two highly talented genuinely world class multi-instrumentalists from Seattle whose gorgeous earthy old time music is pure authenticity. Their debut album,The Holy Coming of The Stormwent sown a storm in the US and it wasn’t long before they caught the attention of Bob Harris who invited them into the studio to record a session for his BBC Radio 2 show, saying their music was “quite extraordinary”. Morrison and West’s music – lean vocal harmonies entwining over a whirr of clawhammer banjo and ringing guitar strings – is a soulful amalgam of American roots music. According to Morrison, they’re drifting somewhere in “a Bermuda triangle where folk, bluegrass and old-time converge.”The Scotsman

Their performance at the Dundee Acoustic Music Club was simply breathtaking, I had caught the duo a few weeks earlier at the Didmarton Bluegrass festival they were brilliant there. Any worries of hearing them again so soon were instantly dispelled. Seeing such a high calibre duo in such an intimate setting was such a contrast from a large scale festival audience that it was impossible to compare the two performances.

The Sunday afternoon performance in Dundee in a small hall revealed much more interplay between the guitar mandolin and banjo the harmonies and vocal strength coupled with the astounding togetherness was mesmerising. The songs and instrumental breaks left me wondering where such inventive arrangements come from.

A truly world class act.

Support came from a collaboration between Andrew Short from Bristol and Ruth Alexander with additional support from Noel Dashwood from Norfolk on Dobro and Angus Wares on Mandolin. A happy blend of vocal harmony from Andrew and Ruth.